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Gommoner,
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 4
THE WEEK AT WASHINGTON
John R. Proctor of Kentucky, presi
dent of the United States civil service
commission, died at Washington, D.
C., on December '12 at the age of -59
years. Mr. Proctor has served on the
civil service commission for ten years,
being appointed by Mr. Cleveland.
' In a caucus hold by the democratic
senators on December 12 it was prac
tically concluded to offer no amend
ments to the Cuban reciprocity bill.
Tno caucus was an animated one and
was sharply divided on tho point at
issue, but ultimately reached a con
clusion on tho matter.
On December 13 Senator Quarles in
troduced a bill to further define the
duties and powers of the interstate
commerce commission. It provides
that any order made by the commis
sion after a hearing and determina
tion had on any petition declaring any
existing rates for the transportation
of persons or property to be unjustly
discriminative or unreasonable and
declaring what rates would bo just,
shall become operative and be ob
served within thirty days after notice.
It provides, also, that In tho event of
neglect to obey an order of the com
mission, performance thereof may be
summarily enforced by writ of in
junction or other proper process, be
sides a penalty of $5,000 for each day
of the continuance of such violation.
trust act? Second, havo the defend
ants monopolized or attempted to
monopolize any part of tho interstate
or foreign commerce of the United
States in violation of section 2 of the
anti-trust act? Third, was the relief
granted by the circuit court author
ized by law?" The government main
tains that each of these questions
should be answered in the affirmative.
On December 13 the Colombian le
gation at Washington received advices
from their country to the effect that
the results of tho election for presi
dent held throughout Colombia on
December 8 show that General Reyes
has been elected president of the re
public. It will be remembered that
General Reyes is at present in this
country on a special mission from
Colombia in regard to the trouble in
Panama, which mission, however, has
proved unsuccessful.
On December 15 the secretary of
war approved the recommendation of
the general army staff concerning the
change in the present boundary lines
of the army departments in tho
United States. There are to be four
divisions in this country and one in
the Philippines, the ones in this coun
try to be known as the Northern, the
Atlantic, tho Pacific, and the South
western division. The order with re
gard to these divisions will become
effective January 15.
Tho democratic caucus decided on
December 15 that hereafter caucus ac
tion of tho party should be binding and
that all members should abide by such
caucus action. During the meeting on
December 15 the Panama canal situa
tion was discussed and it developed
that a sufliciont number of democrats
would vote for the treaty to insure Its
ratification.
At a conference between the execu
tive council of the American Federa
tion of Labor and Speaker Cannon
and the chairman of the house com
mittee on labor, the federation re
quested consideration of the eight
hour bill and the prison labor and
anti-injunction bills, in. the interests
of labor.
President Roosevelt announced on
December 12 the selection of W. I.
Buchanan of Now York .as the first
United States minister to the new re
public of Panama.
On December 14 Rev. Edward Ever
ett Hale of Boston was selected .as
chaplain of tho senate, beginning his
duties on January 1. He is a Congre
gatlonalist and is now 83 years old and
has agreed to accept tho position.
On December 15 Mr. Williams of
Mississippi Introduced In the house
a concurrent resolution proposing an
amendment to the constitution to give
congress power to collect taxes on in
comes, and providing that such tax
shall not be construed to be a direct
tax within the meaning of the constitution.
It was recently announced that the
full text of the Bristow report in re
gard to the investigations into the
frauds in tho postofilce department
will shortly be printed and made pub
lic. This action was taken in accord
ance with the demands of the post
office committee in the house.
last March. Tho treaty proyide for a
reduction of 20 per cent from th
rates of duty under the Dingley law
on all Cuban articles Imported into
the United States and varying reduc
tions of from 20 to 40 per cent from
the established Cuban duty on articles
into Cuba from tho United State.
The senate committee on military
affairs on December 16 concluded ita
investigation of charges against Gen
eral Leonard Wood, filed for the pur
pose of defeating his confirmation as
major general. Secretary of War Root
was the only witness examined dur
ing the day, and his testimony was
practically the only defense that has
been made for General Wood in the
hearing. Secretary Root assumed the
responsibility for many acts which
have been charged to General Wood,
and his testimony was an elaborate
and carefully prepared defense of the
general. After some consideration the
senate committee decided to postpone
action in the case of General Wood un
til January 4. It Is said, however,
that the majority report will be an in
dorsement of General Wood and his
military and civil record in Cuba.
The isthmus canal question as af
fected by the president's recognition
of the independence of the republic of
Panama was debated in the senate on
December 17. Mr. Hoar began tho
discussion and criticised the president
bitterly for his course in the isthmus.
Mr. Gorman followed Senator Hoar in
condemning the policy of the admin
istration, describing the president as
"a second Napoleon." Senator For
aker defended tho administration's
course and in his speech deplored the
discussion of the matter in open session.
It was announced on December 14
that a company of marines from the
.United States ship Prairie, stationed
-at Colon, Panama, had been landed
and sont to Panama whence they are
to be sent to a point on the coast
south of the latter city. It is said that
this action was taken in consequence
-of the attitudo of Colombia toward
,the new republic, and that a long
campaign of guerrilla warfare may be
'bogun on tho isthmus.
The report of Messrs. Conrad and
Bonaparte on the charges made by S.
W. Tulloch, formerly cashier of the
Washington city postoffice, was. made
public December 16. In this report; sus
picion is laid on Mr. Heath as to his
personal integrity in connection with
the frauds, as Messrs. Conrad and
Bonaparte intimate that Mr. Heath is
responsible for the corruption in re
gard to the administration of the
Washington postoffice.
A Washington dispatch, under date
of December 17, says: The commis
sion on public lands, recently ap
pointed by President Roosevelt, to re
port on the condition, operation and
effect of the present land laws, and
of the use, disposal, and settlement of
the public 'lands, held its first meet
ing today. This body is composed of
Commissioner W. A. Richards of the
general land office; Glfford Pinchot,
chief of the bureau of forestry, and
F. H. Newell, chief hydrographer of
the geological survey.
On December 17 the house of rep
resentatives passed the pension ap
propriation bill carrying $138,150,100.
: The brief of tho government in tho
,case of the Northern Securities com
.pany and others against the United
-States on appeal from tho decision of
ithe district court for tho district of
'Minnesota, was filed with the supreme
.court on December 14, tho argumpnts
being identical with those originally
made. According to a dispatch from
.Washington carried by tho Associated
press, the questions of law growing
out of the statements are 41s follows:
"First, has combination been accom
plished by means of the securities com
pany in violation of section 1 of an
act of congress approved July 2, 1830,
entitled. 'An act to protect trade and
commerce against an unlawful restrlc-
A Washington dispatch under date
of December 16 says: The senate com
mittee on foreign relations today voted
to report tho American Chineso com
mercial ftreaty without amendment. It
was also ordered that a favorable re
port be made on the nomination of W.
I. Buchanan of Now York to bo min
ister to Panama.
On December 17 the president signed
the Cuban reciprocity bill as passed
by the senate and issued a proclama
tion reciting the passage of the treaty
and declaring the Cuban reciprocity
treaty to be effective ten days from
December 17.
On December 16 the senato, by a
vote of 57 to 18, passed the bill carry
ing into effect the reciprocity treaty
with Cuba. Tho debate on the meas
ure throughout has been spirited, tho
principal speeches on December 16 be
ing those mado by Mr. Spoonor for
tho bill and by Mr. Bailey against it.
The bill as passed carried into execu
tion and unlawful restraints and mo- tion tho treaty between tho United
nopolles,' hereafter called the anti-1 States and Cuba which was ratified
On December 18 the discussion in
the senate regarding the situation in
Panama continued and although the
debate was interesting was not
marked with the excitement that char
acterized it on the preceding day. Sen
ator Morgan Introduced drastic- reso
lutions touching the action of Presi
dent Roosevelt with reference to the
affair. In the resolutions introduced
by Senator Morgan, it is declared that
tho president has no right to wage
war against any foreign power with
out tho consent of congress, when
such country is at peace jvith the
United States; that the provision of
tho canal treaty between the United
States and Panama, guaranteeing the
independence of the ronuhllr of rn.
nama, is in effect a dictation of war
with Colombia, that the intervention
of tho United States in preventing Co
lombia from suppressing tho seces
sion of Panama is contrary to the law
of neutrality and the law of nations.
On December 18 the senate in exe
cutive session ratified the treaty with
China for the extension of the com
mercial relations between that coun
try and the United States. No oppo
sition to the treaty was made in the
senate, although Senator Nelson 0!
Minnesota mado a speech in which he
criticised the convention as not being
liberal enough in regard to the trade
of the United States.
John A. Benson, a wealthy San
Francisco real estate operator, was
arrested on December 18, charged hy
the department of the interior as be
ing the head of the alleged land
frauds, extending over a dozen west
ern states and territories. It is
claimed that Mr. Benson has defraud
ed the government out of 100.000
acres of land. The Information ob
tained in this case also implicates a
number of persons at present em
ployed in tho interior department at
Washington and a number of arrests
will follow.
In an interview at Denver recently,
Brigadier General H. C. Merriam, re
tired, was quoted to have said that
the president's appointment of Gen
eral Wood to be major general is gen
erally unpopular and such appoint
ment would tend to unsettle the army
and injure its morality. On Decem
ber 18 Secretary Root called upon
General Merriam to explain this state
ment, and the general has said that
his words were greatly enlarged upon.
"I can't get along without my ci
gar," says the slave to the weed. Did
you ever try smoking a cigar when
your eyes were blind-folded? it is
very much like kissing by telephone.
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